The scribes and Pharisees
were, in their day, the most highly respected and admired religious leaders in
the world. Everyone stood in awe of them. But our Lord said to his disciples, "Except your righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of heaven."

Those words must have been
astounding to the people who first heard them. The scribes were the religious
scholars of the day. They were the men who copied and expounded the scriptures.
They gave their lives entirely to this one great work for God and his people.
They consecrated themselves to this one noble work.

The Pharisees were the
strictest sect of the Jews. No one exceeded the Pharisee in outward morality,
obedience to the law, saying of prayers, tithing, sabbath keeping, Scripture
memory, personal righteousness and public approval. Yet, our Lord declares, "Except your righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you cannot be saved!"

Is the Lord telling us that
we must do more and be better than the scribes and Pharisees? Is he saying that
we must gain a greater measure of personal holiness than those men had? Not at
all. In fact, he is saying just the opposite.

The Lord is telling us that
it is utterly impossible for any man to gain favor with God on the basis of his
own, personal righteousness. There never has been a child of Adam upon this
earth good enough, righteous enough, holy enough to inherit or inhabit the kingdom
of heaven, and there never shall be.

You and I must get every
thought of personal righteousness out of our minds, and the very word
"good" out of our vocabulary, when we think or speak of any human
being in God' s sight! We have no righteousness of our own before God, and no
ability to produce righteousness.

If we would be saved, we
must have the righteousness of God in Christ imputed and imparted to us. It is
this righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees!
Do what you may, without the righteousness of God in Christ, you cannot enter
into the kingdom of heaven. And the only way anyone can get that righteousness
is by faith in Christ. Only God can give us the righteousness of God.